Ex-School of the Osage middle school teacher pleads guilty to statutory sodomy

Posted: Tue 3:48 PM, Nov 19, 2019

TUSCUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A former central Missouri teacher who traded academic help for sexual encounters with female students has pleaded guilty to statutory sodomy.

Mark Edwards originally was charged with four counts and was scheduled to go to trial Tuesday. Under his plea deal, prosecutors dropped child molestation charge and two counts of sexual contact with a student were sent back to the associate court for later action.

Edwards was a seventh-grade science teacher at School of the Osage. KRCG reports prosecutors alleged he would help female students with tests and assignments in exchange for being allowed to look down their shirts and touch them, to make sexually explicit or suggestive comments to them and to sexually abuse and assault them.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6.

A victim's father is suing the Osage School Board, the district and several administrators.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.